Message given on February 10, 2008 Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to
all men,
Holy Living
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Savior Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no
man despise thee.
Now we’re saved by the mercy and grace of God. By His grace we are saved. We
know that. But we see here from the words of Paul that when He said in Ephesians
we are saved by grace and not by works he also wrote that works should follow
those that believe. “For the grace of God that brings salvation teaches us that
we are to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously and godly in this present world. And when we do that, we are looking
for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ.
We got to recognize that we need God so much to get victory over sin. Not just a
onetime experience years ago, 10 or 20 years ago, we need God every day. We got
to renew ourselves in the spirit every day. We need Him. We need to stay in His
word and study His word because the word is a cleansing agent. That we shall
see….
Romans 8:1. The pastor quoted this a couple of Sundays ago:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
You notice that it doesn’t say that there is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus and stop there. It says….who walk not after the
flesh but after the spirit.
The spirit gives us life. The flesh gives us no hope. We cannot overcome the
flesh without the spirit that Gracie mentioned at our lady’s meeting that living
water that comes in and causes us to overcome sin and it washes us and makes us
clean. It gives us a new “want to” in our lives. We should not want to sin.
Jesus died for our sin. He paid a big heavy price for us to be saved from sin.
He did pay that price and suffer on that cross for us to continue in sin and
stay in sin. He meant for us to be cleansed from sin. He meant for us to have a
new life, turn from sin and turn to God.
It says that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
This of course, includes women and children. It appeared to us and teaches us to
deny ungodly lusts and then change….live soberly, life righteously and godly.
You might think, well, we can’t live godly. Well that is what the Holy Spirit is
for. To teach us, to guide us. He will give us understanding of the scriptures,
even the King James version. This is part of the gospel. We are not saved by
grace so that we can go back into sin. I mean, that wouldn’t make sense. Jesus
suffers, dies and hangs on that cross to pay the price for our sins. We say I
can just believe in Him and then live anyway we want to and let sin come back
into us. What did He die for? To free us from sin, because sin cannot enter
heaven. One day the earth is going to be burned up and all the bad with it. All
the sin and all the evil is going to be burned up. If sin is still within us.
I’m not talking about every fault. I’m talking about sin against God’s word. If
the sin is still there we will be burned up with it. Jesus came to take that
away so that we can live in a place without sin, without sickness without
sorrow.
We are to be changed. Old things are supposed to pass away and all things become
new but this is done by the spirit. I’m not talking about dress codes. I’m not
talking about long hair or short hair. I’m talking about the spirit of God
coming within us and we start living for God because we love Him so much. We
start doing things because we love Him so much that we can’t help not to do it.
Every time we study the word, we are cleansed a little more. The word is a
cleansing agent.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it;
Here is what Christ did for the church:
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
This is another work of the Holy Spirit and the word. Bringing this word to our
remembrance to make us remember what Jesus died for. When we read the word,
study the word as a church, and at home alone, its reminding us that we were
cleansed from sin.
If we stop reading the word, stop praying, stop going to church, stop gathering
together in worship, pretty soon we will forget that. When we forget that we
have been cleansed from our sins, we are more likely to go back into it.
1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us
from all sin.
This is an ongoing process. As we have fellowship. Every time we gather
together, every time we study the word of God, the blood of Jesus is still
cleansing us. Every time we hear this word, the word cleanses and that living
water is always flowing in and out cleansing us but if we walk away, we get away
from the word, we get away from prayer, the old world, the devil brings that old
stuff we were saved from, right back in. Its all the spirit, we need the spirit.
To be renewed in the spirit.
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made
blood by the blood of Christ.
We can see from 1 John 1: 7 that I read a while ago that the blood of Jesus
cleanses from sin as we walk in the light having fellowship with one another. It
all works together. We need each other church. We need the Christian fellowship.
We cannot expect the blood of Jesus to cover our sins if we remain in open sin
and do not repent. Repentance is very important. John the Baptist taught
repentance. Jesus taught repentance. Peter taught repentance. Paul taught
repentance. Every one of them. John, the apostle John. Even in the Old Testament
repentance is all through it. Repentance, what does it mean? Not just to be
sorry for sin but to turn from it. To change, to go toward Jesus to go the other
way. This is the living water that Jesus talked about to the woman that she
could have and never thirst again because it would flow in her and deliver her
from sin. We can have it too. It’s ours for the taking. Not just a one time
event years ago. The Church of God teaches the baptism in the Holy Spirit. That
is empowering for service which you receive not always at salvation but later
and some people receive this right at salvation which is the way it is supposed
to be but sometimes we hold back. When we’re completely baptized in the Holy
Spirit that is even further. It doesn’t make us more saved. That empowers us for
service. We need that to bring to memory the word of God.
That is not a onetime event either. We can be filled with the spirit over and
over again. We can be filled with the spirit every day. We can be filled with
the spirit every time we come together. It doesn’t matter what happened years
ago, it’s what we have today. Are we filled with God’s spirit today? That is
what counts. Do we love Him?
The pastor said he is going to preach this morning on the first love. Jesus
warns the church the very first church in the book of Revelation. He said to
them that “You do good, you have sound doctrine, you make sure you don’t have
false teachers in your midst, you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes but…you
have one thing lacking…You have left your first love. You don’t love Jesus like
you did at the beginning. You notice when somebody is first saved, how they love
Jesus, how they talk about Jesus. How Jesus is their life. This church were
still doing all the things they should, they were still teaching the word but
that love was missing.
If you do not love God with all your heart and all your soul, you cannot love
your neighbor as yourself. If you do it will be an idolatrous kind of love or
something not right. You have to love God first. You have to love Him with all
your heart, soul, mind and strength. Then and only then can you love your
neighbor as yourself properly, the right way.
Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are
these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and
night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the
sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes.
These verses show us that people had to die because they believed in Jesus
Christ. But look they had to come the same way as those who do not go through
tribulation. They had to be washed in the blood of Jesus for their sins. They
were persecuted. These are the tribulation saints. They are going to stand
before God. They stood and chose Jesus Christ even though it meant that they
would be killed. In the end, God wiped away all their tears and led them to the
fountains of living water. No one can ever harm them again.
Jesus came over 2000 years ago. He came in the flesh, He became a man. He had to
do that because someone had to come and become a man but yet not sin so that
when He died, He died not deserving to die. The law of God says the soul that
sins, It shall die. Death comes because of sin. So Jesus had to come and live as
a man but be perfect. He could not sin in one point. God came in the flesh. God
loved us so much that He came in the flesh. When Jesus rose from the dead and
went back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit. That again is God coming in the
flesh. The Holy Spirit comes into us and that is God coming in the flesh just
like Jesus came in person, the Holy Spirit can come to each and every
individual. That is such a beautiful wonderful gift of God. We should never take
it lightly. We should seek to be filled with the spirit every day because a big
price was paid that each of us could have part of God. Just imagine. We’ve got
God in us. That living water. Hallelujah. Hallelujah….and its only the
beginning. But you know….we are in trouble, we are in big trouble in the United
States. We need to pray, we need to seek Him like I said a while ago.
We’ve got to pray for this country or it may not be a country. I don’t know
whose going to be our next president. It doesn’t make any difference. We are in
trouble. We need to pray, we need to hear from God, we need to pray and seek
God. Maybe we can turn this thing around. You know what…its not going to be the
president. I don’t care if it’s a Republican or a Democrat, a conservative or a
liberal or an independent. They’re not going to turn this country around. The
church can. God’s people are the only ones that can do it if we pray.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, praise His name. Praise His name.
When we start to compromise sin it affects all those that live around us. I’ve
seen Christian families live in a neighborhood and when they move out, the
neighborhood goes to pot. Our presence, if were full of the Holy Ghost and full
of God and stay that way, we don’t let the old devil rob us of it, we will
influence our neighborhoods and be a light to them. We may not even associate
with them but just us being there, I’ve seen it happen but when we move out and
go back it all goes to pot.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the
common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that
ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints.
We need to contend for this. We need to fight for it.
Keeping the original gospel pure from the pollution of men is an ongoing fight.
Its been an ongoing fight since the death of the apostles because people add to
it or take away from it. They add to it by saying your saved by being baptized
as a baby or by doing this ritual or sacrament and you’re not repenting of sin
and you’re life’s not changing Some think you’re saved by doing this act or that
act, building hospitals or doing good deeds. Those things are good but you’re
not saved by feeding the poor as good as that is.
Your saved by the blood of Jesus. Your saved by a changed life. You can also
take away from the gospel. The book of Jude really warns us against that. We can
take away from the gospel by quoting that we are saved by grace and not works
and then live any way we want to and 20 years from now we are back into sin and
the same mess. That’s taking away from it.
Jesus warned in Matthew 7:
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity.
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
I used to love this song as a kid.
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock.
That rock being Jesus Christ the solid foundation. That rock being the word of
God which does not change, hallelujah.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of
old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God
into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is what’s happened today. We’re living in the church of the Laodiceans
because men have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness. They’ve cheapened
it. “You can do anything you want and still be saved as long as you mentally
believe that a man died for sins 2000 years ago.” No changed life.
They're preaching the prosperity doctrine that God wants you to be rich. They
will even go so far to say, “Don’t support a poor church because God is not
blessing it.” Its money, money, money. I was grieved to turn on the television
one time and heard them in the telethon wanting to raise money to spread the
gospel but you know…..I didn’t hear any gospel. What gospel are they spreading?
That is why Jude says to contend for the original gospel that will save the
soul. All this new feel good motivational speaking will not save one soul, it
will not bring conviction of sin and it will not change one life.
Some crept into the church and turned the grace of God into something else. It
doesn’t matter what it is. It could be something good but we need the old
fashioned gospel that tells us to repent, turn away from your sins. Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ but believe on Him to the point that you’re going to
believe what He said. You’re going to believe His word, you’re going to change
your life. You’re going to say, I’m sick of sin, I’m tired of sin. I want all
you have for me Lord. I want everything you’ve got. I need it and I want to give
this to someone else. We don’t want to keep it to ourselves.
My dad used to call this sinning Christians or easy believism. So we can add to
the word, cover it up and teach everything else so people will not even hear the
gospel or we can take away from the gospel and make it some cheap thing.
Jesus died. He bled and He died and suffered to give us something good. To give
us His best and its only the beginning.
When we start compromising the gospel, first of all, we will start denying God's
right to correct how we live. We start questioning the word of God. Maybe that
don’t mean that. Taking this word out. That’s not for us today. Then they will
begin deny Jesus Christ and say there are other ways of salvation through other
religions.
We can see this pattern in the country we live in. We started out as a country
that feared God. Most people that started this country were bible believing
people that feared God. But later they got away. They got away from this. Then
they start…Thomas Jefferson, I believe, cut up the bible and cut out all the
miracles. I’m not saying he wasn’t a good man, I’m sure he was but he couldn’t
believe part of it. What does that do? If that part's not right then maybe this
part isn’t right.
Then they start teaching….well we’ve got to get along with everybody so maybe
there is other ways to be saved other than Jesus Christ. Maybe other religions?
I’ve never seen any other religion that beats this one. Other religions kill
each other if they don’t believe. Then they begin to deny God’s right to tell
them what to do. Then in comes abortion and all other things that we know is
wrong. Then they go so far that evolution comes in and they begin to deny God
Himself.
It always starts when we start to deny God’s right to cause us to walk in
holiness.
In Jude 1:20, it shows us how we can avoid returning to sin, once we are saved
by the grace of God. This is how we keep from turning that grace into
lasciviousness.
Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost,
Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jude in verses 20 tells us how to avoid returning to sin. Build ourselves up in
the faith praying in the Holy Ghost. Pray in tongues if you have received
tongues. Pray in English if you like but pray fervently and never stop praying
in the spirit. He says in verse 21 to keep yourselves in the love of God. Don’t
let Satan rob you of that love and bring in a root of bitterness.
We’re living in a country where people fight for their rights. Fight for your
right. You don’t have to hate. You don’t have to get angry enough to let that
root of bitterness come into your heart. You have to fight for this because the
devil will make you mad when you’re driving in traffic and somebody does
something stupid. The devil will try to make you mad at your neighbor, a family
member…anything to get a root of bitterness in your own family and when you go
to church, you’re mad. The spirit of God can’t move because you are sitting
there mad. But, you know what…fight for your right. I have a right to love my
neighbor as myself. Jesus don’t make commandments and then not give us the
ability to keep them. I have a right to love people. Its my right in Jesus. He
said to love one another as I have loved you.
Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you love
one another. When people come in here and see us loving one another they are
going to know that we are different than people they work with, go to school
with …we’ve got to be different. Its not a begrudging thing we have to earn,
it’s something we can have from God. God the Holy Spirit. We’ve got to hunger
and thirst after Him and He gives us all we need.
It says in …
2Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath
light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that
believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and I will be
their God, and they shall be my people.
Isn’t that wonderful? God wants to be our God and He wants us to be His people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.
2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in
the fear of God.
The teaching of holiness is not taught anymore but you know what? That doesn’t
make it null and void. The last time I looked, holiness it is still in the
bible. And again, I’m not talking about ear rings. I’m not talking about dress
codes. I’m talking about that which comes from the Holy Spirit and causes us to
love our neighbor, love our church, love that lost sinner next door, that drug
addict, that alcoholic that needs Jesus so bad because they’re bound and cannot
get free by themselves. God uses us, we’re His vessels. He can send an angel
down here but He chose the church. He said, this is your job. We have to love
them first. You can’t witness to somebody on your own…God has to put that love
in your heart.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.
The Holy Spirit will rip the world right out of your heart. He will rip the
world right out and replace it with something better. God has something better
than the stuff we think we want.
Hebrew 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord:
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any
root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
That root of bitterness again. The devil wants to spoil us. He wants to ruin
that holiness…That relationship we have with God. It is so precious and so holy.
God has something good for us.
1Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him.
God is preparing great things to all those that love Him in eternity but, you
know what…we don’t have to wait. We can have all God wants us to have today. We
can have the fullness of His spirit. We don’t have to hate our neighbors. We
don’t have to walk in darkness. We don’t have to be overcome by a besetting
sin…we can overcome. God’s provided everything by His spirit. We have to ask, we
have to seek for all He has for us.
Dorna J Chambers